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The ‘TACO Trump’ memes have resurfaced as the president has still not fulfilled his Grim Reaper warning of laying off thousands of government workers due to the shutdown.
Donald Trump, along with Vice President JD Vance and press secretary Karoline Leavitt, hinted at a drastic cutback to pressure Democrats into action.
But the opposing party has called his bluff and are dug in for the long haul as the government shutdown enters its eighth day.
The ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’ meme emerged earlier this year when tariff threats went unfulfilled. Wall Street traders benefited as the tariffs were never enforced, leading to the inception of the TACO trade.
Now, this same enthusiasm is evident in Capitol Hill, as Democrats believe Trump might have overestimated the situation, potentially risking support from moderates over fears of widespread job losses.
‘From the get-go, upon seeing the initial memo from Vought about potential mass firings or layoffs, it was apparent to me it was all just hot air,’ Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw shared with The Washington Post.
Walkinshaw’s Northern Virginia district includes thousands of federal workers.
‘And by the way, the federal employees that I represent saw it as such as well,’ Walkinshaw added.
The ‘TACO Trump’ memes are back, as the president hasn’t delivered on his grim threat to cut thousands of bureaucratic jobs during the shutdown. These memes gained traction during his earlier tariff threats, when Wall Street traders capitalized on what became the TACO trade.
Trump, Vice President JD Vance and press secretary Karoline Leavitt (at a press conference on Monday) all dangled the bloodbath threat in an attempt to heighten the stakes for Congressional Democrats
An unnamed State Department official acknowledged that in an interview with the Post.
‘This is stupid, even for them,’ he said. ‘The bar is in the basement, and they have managed to tunnel under it somehow.’
Last Wednesday, hours after the federal government shut down, Russell Vought, the director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, warned House Republicans that the layoffs would begin in a day or two.
A day later, Trump posted an AI video portraying Vought as the Grim Reaper, ready to cut those jobs.
But a week has gone by, with CNN reporting Tuesday that there’s been a change in strategy as an increasing number of Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers realize the optics of mass firings could be politically perilous.
One official told CNN that Republicans would be better served by laying off people if the shutdown is prolonged.
It’s ‘the idea that if we give it more time, it’ll be because the Democrats truly forced our hand and left us no choice,’ an official said, confirming fears that a stealth purge might still be on the cards.
‘And we do not want to appear gleeful about people losing their jobs, of course,’ the official added.
A sign showing that the welcome center at Yosemite National Park is closed due to the ongoing federal government shutdown
A House Republican told CNN that while ‘it’s rhetoric that excited the base,’ the GOP is ‘in a messaging battle to win the middle.’
‘”Slash and burn” talk turns them off, and is reducing our leverage,’ the House Republican said. ‘We have the high ground now, but could lose it with mass firings.’
Democrats have resisted passing a clean funding bill over expiring Obamacare subsidies that could see some Americans’ healthcare premiums double.
Some Republicans have expressed openness to passing an Obamacare fix, but most have demanded that Senate Democrats vote to open the government first.
